A Double Edged Sword
by unlucky.chat.noir
Summary: In the world of ALfheim Online, Marinette plays with her friends Alya and Nino as Ladybug. While going through a dungeon and almost being killed by a Frost Dragon, the three friends encounter a Dark Cait Sith who goes by the name Chat Noir. Behind that cloak of his, hides secrets Ladybug will soon discover. (Adventure/Romance/Angst/Drama/Fantasy/Hurt,Comfort)
1. Floor 1: The Town Of Beginnings

(This AU came from the idea and inspiration of the great Bryce Papenbrook who voices both Kazuto Kirigaya or as we know him as Kirito as well as Adrien Agreste or again as we know he as, Chat Noir :3)

_FLOOR ONE: THE TOWN OF BEGINNINGS_

"Hey Marinette! How's it going in China?" Asks Alya through the phone, Marinette sighs with a smile and falls down onto a chair, sinking into the cushions. She was in her temporary room at her mother's relative's house in Beijing, China.

"It's great, except for the part that my Chinese is almost as good as my ability to walk in a straight line." Explains Marinette, glancing around her room, the colours were a bit dull for her standards but the furniture made it feel traditional and historical, the small golden figure of a dragon twirled in a circle giving it that finishing touch.

"Oh. Well, hopefully you can come back to Paris soon so you won't have to worry about speaking Chinese anymore." Replies Alya, a smile in her voice. Marinette laughs slightly and stares at a plant sitting on a coffee table, it looked like a miniature tree, with branches and leaves and everything but... Smaller.

"Yeah, just one more week and I'll be able to come home." Says Marinette, dying for the day to go home to her room, to her school, to her bakery. To her reality.

"Why are you in China anyways?" Asks Alya, Marinette sighs and gets up from the chair, pacing the room in her red and pink flower patterned sleeveless kimono. Her hair was up in a bun with a small pink flower attached to it, and she wore her plain black earrings.

"I'm in China because my mom wants me to get to know her side of the family better, and she also wanted me to see China for myself." Explains Marinette for what she felt like was the 7th time explaining that. She hears Alya groan and she almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

"Can you meet me Online?" Alya asks, her tone lighting up in hopes for her friend to say yes. Marinette considered, her schedule at the moment was free and her mom didn't need her right now so...

"Sure, but only for a bit, I'm busy later." Replies Marinette smiling, she hears Alya nearly squeal in excitement and quickly says her goodbye's before hanging up. Marinette stares at her phone for a moment, then gives a short laugh.

"What a weirdo."

She walked over to her bed and stared at the device sitting on her bed-side table. The Amusphere. Her way of getting into her own reality. Her own fantasy world. It was freedom and it was hers.

She laid herself down on the bed and put the glasses-like device over her head, covering her eyes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she could hear the sound of the Amusphere turning on, and she knew soon she would be hearing a lot more than just the sound of a device turning on. She would be able to hear the sounds of another world.

All she had to say was, "Link Start!"

She arrived at the Town Of Beginnings in ALfhiem Online in no time, since her last save point was just outside the town, the fly there was nothing. She sat at a bench and swung her legs patiently, playing with her braid as she waited for her friend to arrive. After a few minutes of waiting, a flash of red caught her eye and she looked over to spot Alya walking through the town looking for her. Marinette smiles and runs towards her, calling out her name just in time for Alya to turn around and catch her in a hug.

"Hey girl! It's been ages since I've seen you last, I almost didn't recognize you." Jokes Alya, Marinette rolls her eyes and smiles.

"Haha, very funny, but my Avatar hasn't changed since the last time you saw me like this so don't make it seem like it's been years." Replies Marinette, poking Alya in the shoulder where a part of Alya's breastplate wrapped around to the back. She laughs and puts an arm over Marinette's shoulders.

"You can't blame me for missing my BFF, can you?" Says Alya, acting like her usual self. Marinette had missed that, the way Alya got so comfortable around her so quickly, making Marinette feel just as comfortable.

They continued to walk and talk through the town, discussing the latest gossip happening in Paris so Marinette didn't feel left out. Even in the game, Alya was an Info Broker, she always had the latest gossip at the tips of her fingers, for a fair price of course but with Marinette, it came free.

Alya's avatar was a Salamander, a race of fairies known for their strength and powerful fire magic, and though Alya wasn't interested in any of that, she still became one. She never complained, so Marinette just thought she must not have cared about what race she got, as long as she was having fun.

"Hey Alya, has anyone in our class join ALO yet?" Asks Marinette, curiously. Alya thinks for a moment then snaps her fingers like she just figured out a puzzle.

"Yeah actually, a few people. Juleka and Rose, Nathaniel and Nino even Chloe and Sabrina joined." Explains Alya, Marinette stops dead in her tracks at the mention of Chloe and Sabrina's names. They were here? In ALfhiem? Marinette's one safe haven?

"I think my life is ruined..." Mutters Marinette, almost falling to the cobblestone ground. Alya laughs and pulls her forward,to keep walking.

"You're so dramatic, it's not that big of a deal Mari- I mean Ladybug." Alya corrects herself, Marinette's avatar name was Ladybug just so anyone she might know doesn't find out, unless she wants to let them know of course, like Alya.

"ALfhiem is a huge place, what are the chances of you meeting up with her?" Continues Alya, Ladybug shrugs and nods her head.

"Yeah I guess you're right, I mean at least she isn't a Pooka like me right?" Says Ladybug, asking but yet not wanting to know the answer.

"Um, yeah she is actually. She's a Pooka too, and Sabrina is a Slyth." Explains Alya, Marinette nearly melted into the ground just to hide from this world.

"My life is officially ruined... I should just log out now and never come back..." Complains Marinette, falling to her knees dramatically. Alya rolls her eyes and crosses her arms patiently. Her friend sighs and shakes her head.

"Girl, girl, you need to get yourself together."

"I think she needs to get together more then just herself." Comments a voice behind the two, they turn their heads to find a Gnome wearing dark blue armour and a axe sitting behind his back. Marinette smiles, jumping up to her feet quickly.

"Nino!" She squeals, giving her friend a hug before stepping back to look at him again. His avatar had changed from the last time she saw him, he used to be a newbie, a player that had the default armour on and a simple one-handed sword. Now he had a thick chest-plate, clear goggles to replace his glasses, a dark blue shirt under the metal plate and an axe that was too heavy for Marinette to carry.

"Hey Mar-Uh, I mean Ladybug! Long time, no see. I've heard you've been hangin' in China past couple of weeks, how's it goin'?" Nino asks, starting conversation. Marinette was glad to see an old friend again, and now that both of her good friends were here she dreaded the thought of logging out.

"It's been good," Marinette half-lied. She loved China and meeting her mother's relatives but she missed Paris more than anything, and her friends that lived there.

"Yeah, we miss you back here. I swear, Alya's been a wreck since the day you left." Nino says, quickly regretting it as Alya laid a punch to the arm. Hard. He stumbled over and caught his balance before he completely fell over, rubbing his arm cringing. Alya just looked pissed, her fists planted on her hips and her posture saying 'try me'. Marinette just awkwardly smiled, not wanting to get in between this.

"Yeah well, she's my best friend! Of course I was upset!" Alya nearly shouts, trying to defend herself. Marinette wanted to sneak away quietly to leave them be but she knew she would never get away from this Salamander.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay? I should've known you would've freaked out like this.." Nino mutters, earning a glare from Alya. Marinette stared at the two for a moment, then burst into laughter. The two turned their heads to Marinette who continue to kill herself laughing and raised their eyebrows.

"She's gone crazy."

"Yep."

Marinette wiped her eye that had begun to water and calmed herself down, smiling widely.

"You guys are so weird,"


	2. Floor 2: A Hero In Black

_FLOOR TWO: A HERO IN BLACK_

The three set off to a simple dungeon in the frost zone, near the Gnome Race HQ, Nino had said that the dungeon was easy enough to get through and maybe even easy enough to defeat the boss, but hard enough that they may earn some XP and level up. The girls agreed to go along, since Marinette still had some time left until she had to leave.

Once they arrived at the dungeon and defeated some monsters on the way there, Marinette and Alya were chilled to the bone, even if they equipped their warmer armour and extra hood cape, the frost in the air stuck to them like magnets. Quite impressive for virtual reality.

"I-it's f-freezing out here..." Alya says with a chattering jaw, Marinette wanted to get inside the dungeon, hopefully it would be warmer than out in the cold.

"L-let's get inside." Says Marinette, rushing into the opening of the cavern. The two follow behind quickly. The inside of the cave was lit by glowing crystals stuck in the wall, a green and blue hue covering the ground and walls. The air seemed to warm up as they walked farther into the cave until finally the shivering stopped. The trio unsheathed their weapons, Nino with his axe, Marinette with her bow and Alya with her magic. The monsters in the dungeon were just as Nino said they would be, easy to kill but hard enough to gain XP. They also found items along the way such as healing crystals, materials and some low ranked weapons.

After blindly marching onward into the cave, the trio was stopped by a large door with golden ridges and was made of a brown wood-like material. There was no key hole, so they assumed it would open freely without one.

"I think there's a boss behind this door." States Nino, staring at the barrier in front of them with his axe in hand. Marinette nodded and looked over at Alya who seemed calm and ready.

"How hard can this sucker be?" Says Alya, earning a smile from Marinette and Nino.

"Right, then here's the plan. Nino, you will be in the front lines, Alya and I will be in the back dealing with far range and magic. If anything happens, I'll come up to help fight in close range combat. Alya will be in charge of keeping our HP gauge up and using any spells to stun the boss. Got it?" Explains Marinette, giving the two glances and tightening her grip on the bow in her hand.

"Got it." The two say in union. Marinette nods without another word and pushes open the door slowly, her heart pounding in her chest as adrenaline took over her body.

"Let's do this!" She shouts as encouragement, the door swinging open. The three rush into the room and stop in their tracks when they spot the boss.

"Is that a frost dragon!?" Shouts Nino, stepping back a bit. Marinette could read the fear on his face and on Alya's as well. This wasn't what they expected. Not a dragon. Not a high level frost dragon.

"Nino, Alya! Stick to the plan!" Shouts Ladybug over the roar of the dark blue coloured dragon. It's eyes were as black as night and it's body had white crystals poking out in different places, it's wings tucked in tightly even in the large room. It's talons and tail were going to be a problem, close combat would be suicide, but they had to try. They came this far, might as well try to finish the job.

Nino nodded hesitantly and ran towards the beast, pulling back his axe to slash the monster's front legs, a red pixelized gash appearing where the weapon made contact. Thank god that ALfhiem didn't have any graphic or gory content.

Alya and Marinette stood in the far back shooting arrows and magic spells at the boss, trying to stun it for Nino to get close. Suddenly it slashed it's tail into the Gnome, lowering his HP into the yellow.

"Nino!" Shouts Alya, casting a healing spell. Marinette's jaw clenched and she equipped her dagger, running towards the beast to help Nino. He slowly got up from the ground and glanced over at Ladybug running towards the dragon, noticing how the dragon whined up for another attack.

"Ladybug! Look out!" Nino warns, but by the time Ladybug heard him, the dragon had already slashed his talons across Ladybug's armour, a long red slash mark across her torso. She grunted as she was flung back, sliding across the flat marble ground. Her HP had gone done to the red, one more hit like that and she was a goner for sure.

"Watch out!" Shouts Alya behind her, she realized a moment too late that the dragon had dashed towards her and was only a few feet away from her, coming at her like a bullet. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. Instead she heard the sound of a weapon drawing energy to strike, the familiar buzzing like noise before an attack. There was no pain, her HP gauge remained the same.

She opened her eyes to see a black cloaked figure jump out in front of her and strike the dragon multiple times, so fast she couldn't even see the end of the sword. She realized it was a rapier, this guy must've been a high skilled player, maybe level 50, to be able to use a rapier. His one-handed sword skill might've even been maxed out by the way he attacked, fast and strong. Not only was this guy's one-handed sword skill maxed out, but his sprint and acrobatics must've been too, Ladybug could barely even see what this guy looked like.

She watched in total awe as the cloaked figure took down the dragon without a sweat, with only a bit of help from Alya. In a matter of minutes, the boss was defeated and Ladybug was still laying on the ground, staring at the guy who just saved her.

The crystal-like particles that were left behind from the boss fluttered in the air around the black cloaked figure as he sheathed his rapier away. Alya and Nino ran towards a stunned Ladybug and dropped down next to her, Alya healing her with a spell quickly, instantly her HP gauge went up fully.

The words 'Congratulations!' hovered in the air above the players and a small box appeared in front of each of them, giving them their reward.

•5000 yuld

"Ladybug, are you alright?" Asks Alya, her voice filled with worry. Marinette looks up at her friend and nods her head slowly.

"Yeah... I'm fine." She says and watches the figure as he accepts his reward for killing the dragon, his back turned to them, only showing his thick black cloak with a hood covering most of his face, his sheath that held his rapier and... A tail. A black tail.

"Who's the Cait Sith over there?" Nino asks, looking over at the figure. He slowly turns to them as if afraid to look and stares back at their confused and awestruck faces with bright green cat-like eyes that stood out from his dark outfit. Now that he was fully turned, Marinette could see more of his outfit, the black undershirt he wore, the golden bell that was attached to the cloak's collar, his black pants and boots with a small sliver edge and of course the extra cat parts.

"Uh... Ahem, are you- uh, all alright?" He asks hesitantly, Marinette found that his voice held a hint of anxiety and nervousness to it, not just because of his words and how he said it, but because of his tone.

"Yeah, we're good. Thanks for saving Ladybug back there dude, that was awesome." Says Nino, thanking him kindly. The three friends get up onto their feet and Nino is the first one to approach the dark Cait Sith.

"Heh, no problem, uh, dude." Replies the male, rubbing the back of his head through the cloak's hood awkwardly.

"Oh by the way, I'm Nino but my friends call me... Nino. So feel free to call me whatever you'd like." He introduces himself, crossing his arms in a intimidating way. Alya was the second to go up to him.

"Stop trying to scare the poor guy, I'm Alya, I'm known in the game as Lady Wifi. I work as an info broker, so if you ever need anything, I'm the girl to talk to!" She says, self advertising herself. Marinette smiles slightly and stands next to them, finally getting a better look at the Cait Sith's face. His eyes made Marinette stare longer than was appropriate but the guy didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't seem to care.

"And I'm Ladybug, I'd rather not share anymore info than that." Says Marinette, introducing herself and hoping she didn't sound like a snob.

The Cait Sith smiled a toothy grin, his eyes brightening.

"I'm Chat Noir, nice to meet you all!"


	3. Floor 3: Goodbye For Now

_FLOOR THREE: A GOODBYE FOR NOW_

Alya and Nino were already out of the boss room when Ladybug finally turned to Chat Noir to speak.

"Thank you... For saving me back there." She says, looking down at the floor, in the corner of her eye she saw Chat Noir black cat tail flick with happiness. Or perhaps excitement.

"It was no trouble, it would've been wrong to leave a damsel in distress to be killed by a dragon." Chat says, resting his hands on her hips, one hand placed on his rapier.

"So what would you be? The knight in shining armour?" She remarks, smiling cheekily. Chat Noir's lips pull up into a grin and his ears twitch slightly.

"A knight in black armour, yes, and you would be my Princess." He flirts, his eyes staring into hers. She feels her breath catch in her throat and she tries to hide it behind a smile.

"Oh, so you're the flirtatious type? Alright, 'dark knight', because you saved me, I'll buy you dinner, but it's gotta be soon, I have to log out later." Ladybug offers, her blush creeping up her skin to her cheeks. Chat Noir's eyes widen slightly, a smile crossing his mostly hidden face.

"Can't keep a girl waiting, can we?" He says winking, Ladybug laughs cutely and Chat Noir feels his heart jump, something inside fluttered with the sound of her laugh.

"Let's go catch up with the others." Marinette says, urging Chat Noir to follow her. He nods and the two jog to catch up with Alya and Nino, almost getting lost on the way there. Finally they found the two and exited the cave, immediately the cold air bit at the skin on their faces, Alya and Marinette's teeth already beginning to chatter. Nino tightened his coat around his body to try and keep the cold out, while Chat Noir was prepared with a thick fur cloak that covered most of his face and a black and lime green scarf that wrapped around his neck and covered his face up to his eyes.

"Here, use these." Chat says, stopping in his tracks. The others turn to face him curiously, as Chat Noir went through his item menu and three bottles of a orange liquid appeared in his hands. One by one, he gives each of them a bottle and they stare at it in their hands.

"What is it?" Asks Nino, looking closely at the strange liquid. A gust of wind blows by, making the three shiver.

"It's a heating potion, it'll make you immune to the cold for 10 minutes. Drink it now so we'll be able to fly to the World Tree faster." Explains Chat Noir, Nino smiles with a thankful expression and chugs the drink down. Alya laughs and shrugs.

"It's worth a shot."She says and chugs it down. Marinette follows along. In a matter of seconds, the effects take over and the cold is gone, a relief of warmth flows through their body.

"Dude, you're a miracle worker!" Nino exclaims, grinning at the Cait Sith.

"Just Chat Noir is fine, thanks."

Alya's red wings appeared behind her back, her feet lifting off the ground by a couple inches.

"Alright, let's get out of here, Ladybug has to leave soon." Alya says, floating above the ground. Ladybug smiles and her light green wings lift her off the ground to fly beside her friend. The other two join them and they head back to the town.

Once they arrived, Alya said she had some business to attend to with a couple of info brokers and Nino had made up the excuse of wanting to enhance his weapons and armour even though he had already done so this morning. That left only Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"So, are we still on for dinner?" Asks Chat, turning towards her. Ladybug glances up at his smiling face and rolls her eyes.

"Yes but don't think of this as a date or anything, it's just a way of me saying thank you." Explains Ladybug, Chat Noir nods his head and crosses his arms.

"Right, right, or course. Totally agree." Mummers Chat, glancing around quickly. Ladybug puts her hands on her hips and leans towards him slightly.

"Do you want the food or not?" Asks Ladybug, not really as a question.

"Right, let's go then." Answers Chat and follows Ladybug through the town to a small café. They find a booth inside and sit down across from each other. Chat pulls down his hood and Ladybug does a double take, her eyes widening slightly.

"What?" He asks, Ladybug shakes her head and smiles awkwardly.

"N-nothing, I just... Uh, for some reason I didn't picture you with black hair." She explains, he snorts, running a hand through his dark ebony black locks.

"Yeah, most people don't at first. In the real world, I actually have blonde hair." Says Chat, Ladybug searches for a sign of a joke on his face but instead she only finds the truth.

"Seriously? That, I can picture. So why choose black hair?" Asks Ladybug, Chat Noir shrugs.

"Goes with the theme, black clothing, black cat ears so black hair, you know? And I'd rather not be called 'Chat Jaune'." Chat jokes, smiling widely. Ladybug laughs slightly.

"Or 'sunshine kitty'," Adds Ladybug, earning a laugh from Chat Noir.

"Yeah, that too."

"So you speak French then? Since you go by Chat Noir, I would assume you're French." Says Ladybug, folding her hands together. Chat Noir leans back in the chair and nods.

"Yeah I'm from France, Paris actually. I still live there." He explains, Ladybug's eyes widen slightly and she smiles.

"Really? I do too! Well, right now I'm not in Paris, I'm actually in Beijing China but I'm heading back in a week." Marinette explains, day-dreaming about being in Paris again, the bakery, her friends, heck, even school was a good memory.

"Oh that's cool, I actually can speak a bit of Chinese slash Mandarin." Says Chat, feeling proud of himself for taking Chinese lessons.

"Lucky, I can't say a single sentence without messing up. I'm so embarrassing." She replies, Chat smiles a humorous smile.

"I'm sure you're not that bad, a pretty girl like you probably has a smart brain too." Chat compliments, winking at her. She rolls her eyes and giggles.

"If only..." She mutters, Chat with his cat ears, hears the foul comment, realizing just how much she put herself down. She probably did this often considering the way she held herself around him and how sometimes she would start blabbering off without realizing it, then apologize right after. Marinette clears her throat, snapping Chat Noir out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" She asks, tilting her head slightly. Chat forces a smile and shakes his head.

"Just thinking." He lies, Ladybug eyes him down but shrugs it off. Drinks come around and Chat Noir immediately reaches for his drink. Holding the cup of sparkling water in one hand, he takes a sip and resists the urge to chug it down. Even in the VR world, he still got hungry and thirsty often after a battle. Ladybug's lips pull up into a friendly smile and she holds her steaming cup of tea with both hands, keeping it planted on the table.

"So, you're a Cait Sith," Ladybug says, starting conversation again. Chat Noir nods and puts his cup down. "That means you're a beast tamer right?" She continues on, Chat nods again and leans his arms onto the table, his hands folding together.

"I got a beast, actually. A rare type of beast that can take the form of any cat animal he wants. That includes Griffins by the way." Explains Chat, smiling slightly. Ladybug's eyes widen in awe at the thought of the beast and she smiles widely.

"That's so cool! Does it- I mean, he, have a name?" Asks Ladybug correcting herself. Chat Noir nods and grabs his cup again.

"Yeah, it's Plagg."

Ladybug smiles and holds her cup near her mouth, blowing on it softly.

"I don't have a beast or anything like that, but I do have a Navigational Pixie. Her name is Tikki." Says Ladybug, sipping at her tea. Now it's Chat Noir's turn to be amazed.

"You got a Navigational Pixie!? Aren't those things won by a lottery in the game?" Asks Chat, beginning to feel starstruck.

"Yep, I guess I'm just lucky. You should met her sometime, she's like my best friend in the game." Says Ladybug, Chat nods excitedly, his ears perking up and his tail rising slightly.

"I'd like that."

After eating a meal that surprisingly tasted good even in the VR world, Ladybug checked the time and nearly had a heart attack.

19:34

"I have to go! Like, now!" Marinette says freaking out, she gets up and rushes out of the café, Chat Noir following behind her. She stops at the hotel she was staying in at the Town of Beginnings and opens up her menu by swiping her left hand down.

"Wait, before you leave, um, can I add you? To my friends list?" Chat asks, rubbing the back of his neck, his hood was down for everyone to see his black hair and ears.

"I'm sure you have lots of friends, so why me? I just met you." She replies, shrugging a shoulder. Chat Noir shakes his head, his eyes pleading.

"No, that's not true. I don't have any friends, I was always a solo player. I just... I want to get to know you more. It's just a friend request, I'm not asking you to party with me. Please." He begs, Ladybug stares right into his pleading eyes, filled with such loneliness and sorrow, though just a few minutes ago they were filled excitement and joy. Now that Ladybug thought about it, maybe he was happy just around her. Had he actually been alone for this long?

"Alright, I'll accept your friend request." She says, Chat perks up and sends her the request, the menu popping up in front of her. She presses the 'Accept' option, giving Chat the notification.

"Thanks, so will I be able to see you again?" Asks Chat Noir, Ladybug giggles and presses the options menu, showing the log out button.

"I'm on your friends list remember? You'll know when I log in again. See you later kitty," Ladybug says winking, she presses the log out button, disappearing.

Chat Noir stands there, players and NPC's passing by, some glancing at him, others not bothering. Chat smiles hopefully and looks around quickly before pulling up his hood again and dashing off.


	4. Floor 4: Home

_FLOOR FOUR: HOME_

Marinette nearly ripped off her Amushere by jumping out of her bed, her head was spinning and her heart was pounding in adrenaline. She swung open her door and her heart sunk to her stomach.

"Mom, I can explain-" She starts, nearly out of breath. Sabine just shakes her head and cuts Marinette off before she could finish.

"You were late for dinner Marinette, this kind of behavior is not to be tolerated with while we are here." Says Sabine, her tone serious and strict.

"But Mom I was just-" Says Marinette, trying to get a say in this.

"Which is why I spoke with your father, and we both agree that we will be heading back to Paris at the end of this week." Says Sabine, her tone softening. Marinette blinks up at her then smiles hopefully.

"Really?" She asks Sabine nods and puts a hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"I understand that you want to see your friends again, and I shouldn't stop you. So, if you would like, we can head back to Paris in a couple days, by Friday." Her mother explains, Marinette nearly squeals and she hugs her mom tightly.

"Thank you, Mom, I love you." She says Sabine kisses Marinette on the top of her head, hugging her back, giving Marinette that familiar sense of comfort she always got when hugging her mother.

"I love you too Marinette."  
_

Marinette was surprised when she woke up on the plane that was heading back to Paris, surprised because she was so hyper and excited to be heading back, she didn't think sleep was an option. She looked out the window, as the ground came closer to her view and the world got bigger around her. Her stomach flipped as the plane landed, the thought for some reason making her uneasy. Perhaps it was the excitement of being back in Paris. Home.

After exiting the plane with her parents and retrieving her luggage, she turned to walk to the exit when she was suddenly embraced by a friend.

"Welcome home girl!" Squeals Alya, Marinette smiles widely, her eyes also wide from slight shock and hugged her friend back.

"I'm so happy to see you!" She exclaims, squeezing Alya. She pulls back and can't help but continue grinning like an idiot. Alya really was the first person she wanted to see once arriving in Paris (besides Nino and... Adrien, of course) and she already was happy to be back.

"Same, man, I really missed you those past weeks. It was torture. But at least you made it before school started again, hurray for learning." Alya says sarcastically. Marinette laughs and carries her luggage, with Alya helping by carrying a few bags.

"I'm actually excited to be heading back to school," Says Marinette with a cheery smile on her face. Alya snorts.

"The only reason why you are is because you get to see Adrien," She says, empathizing on his name. Marinette turns her head away and blushes, the heat rushing to her face and into her cheeks. Her heart fluttered whenever she heard his name.

"N-no, I mean, yes but that's not the whole reason." Stutters Marinette, Alya laughs at her friend's embarrassment.

"Don't lie, I know how your brain works. Been friends with you for almost 3 years now, I know you better than you know yourself." Alya remarks confidently, Marinette rolls her eyes playfully and the two finally exit the airport with Marinette's parents close behind.

The two friends couldn't stop chatting during the car ride home, mostly on gossip on things Marinette had missed in Paris the past few weeks. But most of it revolved around Adrien.

"Girl, you've missed like 3 magazines with Adrien plastered on the front of them. Two of them were for the Summer catalog." Explains Alya, Marinette's brain immediately wanders into what she thought he would look like in a swimsuit, or at least topless. Alya snaps her out of her daze and shakes her head as if she read her thoughts.

"Sorry girl, no topless pics. At least, not yet." Says Alya, teasing. Marinette blushes and waves her arms in front of her as if trying to get rid of the images, though she did enjoy the sight, Alya could see right through her.

"Haha, yeah, of course, heh." Says Marinette, rubbing the back of her neck.

"So what did you think of Mr. Miracles last night?" Asks Alya, wanting Marinette's opinion.

"Mr. Miracles? You mean Chat Noir?" She asks, slightly confused. Alya rolls her eyes and nods. Marinette thinks for a moment, what did she think of him? He was nice and strong. But he seemed shy, and awkward, like he's never had an actually conversation before.

"I don't know, he was nice I guess?" Marinette says, shrugging. Alya shakes her head.

"No way you're getting off the hook that easily, I left the two of you alone on your little date and I deserve to know some deets." Says Alya crossing her arms. Marinette sighs, there was no way she was getting off this that easily, Alya was right.

"Alright, alright. He was... I don't know, shy? He told me he didn't have many friends and it was all new to him. Even in the game, he had barely anyone on his friend list." Explains Marinette, Alya cuts in before Marinette could continue.

"Are you on that list?"

Marinette gaps at her friend then glances over at the window.

"Yeah," She mutters under her breath, Alya gasps before basically fangirling beside her.

"I knew it!" She squeals, smiling widely. Marinette rolls her eyes with a smile at her friend's outburst of giggles and squeals.

"It's not a big deal we just... Wanted to get to know each other more." Marinette tries to defend herself, Alya laughs and slightly shakes her friend.

"That's how it always starts! They say they just want to get to know each other and then BAM! They're holding hands and kissing under the moonlight." Says Alya, eyeing her friend with a smirk. Marinette sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"Ok, too much information Alya." Says Marinette, earning another laugh from her friend.

They continued to talk until they reached Marinette's bakery, where Alya said she had to get home. Marinette didn't feel too bad about this honestly, she just wanted some peace and quite.

And her Amushere.

She rushed inside and was stopped by her Mother, who had that friendly smile on her face.

"Marinette, didn't school start this week?" Sabine asks, Marinette nods. It had started on Tuesday since Monday was a national holiday.

"Since tomorrow is Friday, why don't you head back to school in the morning?" Suggests Sabine, Marinette mentally starts crying but keeps herself calm and happy on the outside.

"Sure, I'm just gonna have a nap, I'm a bit jet-lagged." Says Marinette, yawning to add effect to the whole 'tired' thing. Although, taking a nap right now did sound like a good idea...

Marinette's mother smiles and kisses her on the cheek, then Marinette heads upstairs to her room and crashes on her bed.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of what Alya said. There's no way Chat Noir and her could ever get together, she didn't even know if he was telling the whole truth. He could be a Pedo for all she knew.

She half sighed, half groaned as she sat up and reached for her Amushere that sat in her bag from China. She plugged it in and put it on, laying down on her back.

She took a deep breath. One thing kept racing through her mind.

Chat Noir.

And school. Okay, technically just Adrien but it had to do with school.

She hesitated for a moment. Did she want to go see Chat? She made up the excuse in her head that she was too tired and pulled off the Amushere.

"Maybe later," she mutters to herself as she places the device on her bedside counter.

Right now, all she wanted was to take a long nap. And never wake up.


	5. Floor 5: Being Heroic

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! First off, I'd like to say, thank you to everyone who has favourited my story, you've been such an inspiration to me to keep writing :3 Also, I understand that the facts in this story aren't perfect, but that is why it is an AU and a FanFiction. It's just for fun. Now without further a due, enjoy the chapter ^_^**

* * *

After Marinette had woke up from her nap, she decided it was time to get this over with. She placed her Amushere on with determination and laid down on her back. She said the words "Link Start," and was transported to the world of ALfheim.

Ladybug glanced around the town, this was the spot she had left Chat Noir last night. The spot that was also next to the hotel she was logged into.

She let out a breath of air she didn't realize she was holding in and walked through the town. She heard in the distance the sound of spokesmen, possibly an NPC, blabbering on about something. Something important. His voice was nearly screaming trying to get the attention of passerby but nobody would stop to listen. Ladybug came to a halt a few feet away from the NPC wearing a light green outfit and had a darker green coloured hair.

A Slyth.

"Please! Help! My friends, they're trapped in a dungeon! Anyone, please help me!" He shouts, repeating the words over and over. Ladybug chews on the inside of her cheek and debates on accepting the quest. The reward didn't matter to her, helping out did. Even an NPC, there was a sense of urgency inside her that pulled her in to help. How heroic...

"I'll help you." She blurts out, the Slyth stops his pleading and a smile of relief fills his face.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! My friends, they're trapped in a dungeon near the south of the desert area, near the Salamander zone." Explains the Slyth, probably programmed to say that. Ladybug nods and accepts the quest, the Slyth bows multiple times in gratitude and runs off. Ladybug sighs and goes through her inventory, equipping her favourite bow and arrows, her red and black spotted cloak and just in case, a bunch of healing crystals.

"This was way easier with Alya and Nino around..." Mutters Ladybug under her breath as she closed her menu and raced off to the nearest teleport gate.

She pulled out a teleport crystal and in a blink of an eye was in the desert area, the heat radiating off her exposed skin. Her armour didn't show much, just the shoulders, elbows, her hands and a bit of her thighs, just under the skirt. Her breastplate covered most of her torso, so no need to worry about that.

She began to walk when suddenly an idea hit her.

She opened up her menu once more and equipped her special ladybug earrings, as soon as they were equipped, a red light appeared and a small pixie took its place. She wore a small pink dress that went down to her knees and her small light red wings glittering behind her back. Her hair went down past her shoulders, a small black dot in her red hair.

"What a nice way to see you again, middle of the sand dunes." Complains Tikki, one arm covering her blue eyes from the blowing sand.

"Sorry Tikki, but I need your help. Can you find the dungeon for the active quest?" Asks Ladybug, pulling up her hood to cover her face from the warm winds.

"You don't have to be formal with me Marinette, I'll find the dungeon for you because I'm your friend, not because I'm your Navigational Pixie." Says Tikki, a small smile on her face. Marinette smiles back and a few seconds later, Tikki points toward the south and glances at her chosen.

"There,"

The two fly off in the direction Tikki had pointed too and came to a large mountain with a narrow opening, like a crack in a rock. Ladybug and Tikki traded determined glances and made their way to the mountain. Tikki flew in no problem, her small form making it easy but Ladybug had more troubles the first few steps. She had to turn her body to squeeze into the gap, the rocks pressing into her back. She grimaced and slowly shifted through the crack and into a small clearing, the walls of the mountain surrounding them.

Then they saw the cave.

"That's it," Says Tikki, turning towards Ladybug. "That's the dungeon the quest wants us to go into."

Ladybug inhales, the warm air going into her lungs even in VR, and stepped into the cave. The inside was different from other dungeons, this one had red and beige sand scattered across the ground, the walls lit by torches on every wall instead of crystals.

Ladybug pulls out her bow and arrows and gets one ready, keeping it low as she walked through the dungeon.

"Monsters ahead," Says Tikki, as three lizard-like monsters spawn in front of the opening of a new path. Ladybug pulls back on the arrow and the buzz of a powered up shot echoes through the cave as she releases the arrow and it scatters, hitting all three.

They disappear into shards, declaring her victory for that battle and she continues on. As she traveled through the cave, killing off the monsters that stood in between her way, her detention skill was going berserk, telling her to turn around and shoot the stalker. But she ignored it, Tikki didn't mention it so she kept going.

Until she couldn't take it anymore.

She whipped around and pulled back on her arrow, aiming it at her intruder.

"Woah! Woah, hold your horses LB!" A voice says, a voice familiar to her. She relaxes and lowers the bow as the figure walks out from the shadows, a small beast at his feet.

"Well if it isn't my Knight in Black Armour, what are you doing here?" Asks Ladybug, smirking though a sense of uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Came to check up on my lady, of course. And I figured you'd need some help during this quest," Replies Chat, crossing his arms and smiling confidently. Ladybug puts the arrow that was in her hand away and places her free hand on her hip.

"Really? Then how'd you even know I'd been here? Were you stalking me?" Asks Ladybug, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. She feels Tikki sit casually on her shoulder and see how Chat's eyes widen in awe at her small friend. He shakes his head and rubs the back of his head, smiling nervously.

"Not stalking... Just... Following?" He says awkwardly, Ladybug smirks and her attention is drawn toward his beast. A black cat with glowing green eyes. It looked a bit like him actually, but cat version.

"I'm pretty sure those are the same thing," Says Ladybug, glancing back up at his face and away from the cat.

"Whatever, I just wanted to see if you were online so I checked on you using my friend list and it showed me your location. When I saw you were alone I thought I'd help out, that's all." Says Chat, staring down at his feet.

Ladybug furrows her eyebrows and feels Tikki place a small hand on her cheek.

"You should just let him come, he wants to help." Whispers Tikki, Ladybug sighs and agrees with her Pixie.

"Alright, fine, you can come," Ladybug says, giving up and turning on her heel to continue down the dungeon. Chat smiles widely and follows behind, his small beast friend staying near his feet.

"So is this the pixie you were talking about?" Asks Chat Noir behind her, Tikki looks over at him and smiles.

"Hello there! I'm Tikki, Ladybug's navigational pixie!" Cheers Tikki, almost like she was programmed to say so. Ladybug snorts and shakes her head slightly in slight disbelief. Tikki acting like an actual pixie, that's new.

"Woah, you know you're quite cute." Compliments Chat to Tikki, Ladybug could tell Tikki just went red and was holding back screams.

"Why t-thank you! I've never gotten that compliment before, except for when Ladybug says it." Says Tikki, flushed. Ladybug holds back another burst of laughter and keeps walking.

"Hey, um, I brought my friend as well. The beast I was telling you about," Says Chat, catching up beside Ladybug. She glances at him through the corner of her eye and lowers her gaze to the cat by his feet.

It's green eyes peering into hers as a chill ran down her spine. Even though this cat looked young, it's eyes held... History. They looked ancient almost. Ladybug shook off the feeling and smiled to hide her uneasiness.

"So this must be the Plagg I heard about," She says, glancing between the cat and Chat Noir.

"Yep," Says Chat, a laugh erupting from him on the border of a snort, "This is Plagg, also known as the most greedy cat ever."

The cat seemed to glare daggers at Chat Noir, though it didn't even make a noise, just kept walking. Tikki interrupted their small conversation by flying in front of them to bring them to a stop.

"There's a boss ahead, as well as a few NPC's from the Quest." Explains Tikki, looking around the empty cavern.

"What do you suggest we do?" Asks Ladybug, listening to her Pixie's advice for once. Last time she ignored it, she didn't go near a slime for a week. Bad memories...

Ladybug physically shivered away the image and centred her focus on Tikki, who hummed lightly in thought.

"Well now that we have Chat Noir, maybe we can try to beat the boss. It probably won't be too hard, considering the NPC was out in the middle of a town.

"Alright, then it's settled. Chat Noir, would you like to help me defeat this thing or what?" Asks Ladybug, turning towards the Cait Sith. He looked taken back at first, the information processing in his head before a small smile crossed his face.

"I'm at your service, my lady." He says, with a bow. Ladybug rolls her eyes playfully and nods, releasing a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

* * *

"Chat! Watch out!" Shouts Ladybug, drawing back her bow to aim at the large serpent boss, it's large fangs snapping at Chat. He rolls to the side and grips the handle of his rapier tightly, making sure it wouldn't fly out of his hand.

"Cover me for a minute!" He demands, his tone on the edge of a question. Ladybug ignores it and dashes toward the snake, it's body slithering toward Chat slowly, like an animal hunting its prey.

She pulls back on another arrow and sends it flying toward the serpent, the arrow breaking off into multiple special attacks and hitting the beast right where she wanted it. The snake whips it's head around to face Ladybug, it's forked tongue hissing at her threateningly.

"What's your plan Cat-boy?" She asks, raising her voice over the sound of a very angry hissing snake.

"I'm working on it!" He replies, shouting back. He pulls out an orange healing crystal and a green light surrounds the two, then disappears. Their HP gauge was maxed out.

Ladybug gaps at Chat Noir who jumped back into battle, "You wanted me to cover you, so you could heal us?! What about that plan you were coming up with?" Asks Ladybug, falling back to shoot arrows at the snake. Chat grunts as he blocks an attack from the serpent.

"I told you, I'm working on it!" He shouts over the sound of the boss hissing angrily. Ladybug sighs and pulls back on another arrow, this one exploding on contact with the boss. Ladybug looks around quickly in search of her pixie and then looks back at the serpent as it lunges towards her, she yelps and flinches, it was too late for her to pull out her dagger, and her bow would just irritate it. Luckily, Chat Noir had used his rapier to block the attack, saving Ladybug once again.

She gives a Chat an appreciated look and smiles slightly, "Thanks," She says, as Chat pushes the boss away.

"No problem my lady, now pull out your dagger." He orders, glancing back at her quickly to make sure she was doing it. She equips her dagger and stands ready, waiting for further instructions.

The snake hisses loudly and a blast of fire shoots out of it's gaping mouth. The two dodge it just in time and Ladybug looks over at Chat Noir just as he looks at her.

"We're gonna switch, let's hope you know how to do that cause it's too late now." He says and runs towards the boss. Ladybug doesn't hesitate as she runs towards the snake, following behind Chat Noir. She knew she had so much to learn from him, he was a way better fighter, she didn't even compare to his fight skill. She hoped by spending more time with him, she could one day be as good as him.

She watches him closely as he jumps up, pulling back on his rapier before striking quickly, hit after hit perfectly. She stares in awe, then he lands back on the ground, glancing back at her, meaning it was her turn.

She runs up to the serpent and strikes in big swipes, cut marks appearing on its scales. Just as it's teeth lurched towards her, she flipped back, making sure to put distance between the two which meant a couple more flips before landing perfectly. Now it was Chat's turn to stare in awe, technically he had been this entire time. He couldn't pull his eyes away, he was in a daze and the only thing that pulled him out of it was her eyes meeting his. He looks back at the serpent and dashes towards it, jabbing the end of his rapier into the snake. He heard it let out a hiss in pain before disappearing into a thousand tiny particles, floating down to the ground around him. He sheaths his sword before looking back at Ladybug to find her staring at him. He feels his cheeks heat up suddenly and he looks down nervously.

"Sorry. That should've been your last kill." He mutters, running a hand through his hair, slightly touching his cat ears making his tail shiver. Ladybug walks up to him and smiles, punching him in the arm playfully.

"Nice job, kitty." She says, Chat smiles back and looks around, spotting Tikki safely in the corner of the room with Plagg and in the very back of the room, the NPC's that went missing.

"There's your reward," Says Chat, gesturing towards the NPC's. Ladybug nods and walks over to them, putting away her dagger and Tikki landing softly on her NPC's looked at her with gratitude which filled Ladybug with a sense of pride, for not only her but for Chat Noir too. She knew she wouldn't have been able to do this without him. With that in mind, she turned her head to look back at him. He stood with Plagg by his side, watching her with a smug look on his face. His green eyes seemed to have sparkled in the dim light, the torches flames dancing in his eyes, Ladybug had to admit he was attractive even if her heart was set on someone else.

"You should get the reward," Ladybug says sighing slightly, Chat's eyes widen in disbelief and slight shock. He shakes his head, shifting his weight to the side.

"No way, you deserve it more than I do. And besides, you're the one who started the quest. I just followed you." He says, crossing his arms. Ladybug sighs and glances back at the NPC's who smiled without emotion, it was kinda creepy...

"Alright fine," She says, glancing back at Chat who just smiled at his accomplishment. It didn't feel right to take all of the rewards but even so, she went up to the NPC who stood out in front and made a small smile.

"Thank you very much for saving us! You have our utmost gratitude," The female NPC says, bowing her head to show her thanks. It was unusual to Ladybug but she didn't say anything about it and smiled.

"You're welcome," She replies although she knows that it didn't matter. A small text box appears before her and she looks down at it, reading through the rewards.

 **-500 Yuld**

 **-Healing Crystal (1)**

 **-Unidentified Dagger (1)**

Ladybug furrows her eyebrows after reading the last reward. A dagger? That was unusual for a simple quest but she ignored it and accepts the rewards, smiling up at the NPC's. She turns back to Chat Noir and walks up beside him, the two beginning their journey out of the dungeon.

"What did you get?" Asks Chat in curiosity, Ladybug looks over at him and shrugs.

"The normal stuff; yuld, a healing crystal, and a weapon. Which by the way, I need to make a quick stop someplace in town about." She says, feeling Tikki shift slightly on her shoulder. She almost forgot she was even there. Chat Noir looks down at Plagg and gives him a confused shrug as if telling the cat that he had no idea either.

"Lead the way, my lady."


	6. Floor 6: The Blacksmith

The two adventures walk through the town that was located by the World Tree, a popular spot for shops and info brokers. Ladybug wondered if she would be able to find Alya somewhere in the crowd, searching for anyone who was willing to pay for information into dungeons or special quests. Perhaps she was hanging out with Nino or looking through stores, trying to find a good bargain. Ladybug had something similar like that in mind and she hoped he was in today, only blacksmiths could identify weapons with no name.

She glances over at Chat Noir, who had pulled up his hood again to hide most of his face and black hair. She stared at him for a moment, wondering what was going on in that head of his and suddenly jumped when his green gaze met hers. She looked down at the ground in front of her, blushing in embarrassment for staring. She heard Chat snicker and she glances back up at him, to see him smiling back at her.

"What were you looking at? See something you like?" He asks teasingly, she scowls, narrowing her eyes at him. He simply smirks, ignoring her nasty glare.

"You're allowed to leave, you know," She remarks, looking back up in front of her.

Chat just shrugs, "I know, I'm just enjoying this too much to leave." He replies, looking over at her contently. She meets his gaze and sighs.

"Do you ever give up?"

"Nope,"

"Of course not," She says, rolling her eyes. Chat chuckles, lightening the mood a bit, not that he was ever upset in the first place, but he wasn't sure with Ladybug. She looks around at the shops in search of a specific one and smiles as the store came into view. It was a blacksmith she had been friends with since they were friends, she just hoped he was in today, he had other things to do in his real life. The two walked over to the small building and Chat stopped to look up at the sign, it had a picture of a sword and a hammer, a simple blacksmith trademark but what was different was the splash of what he hoped was paint. What else could it have been?

He follows Ladybug inside and looks around briefly at the glass showcases, showing off well-made swords, daggers, and axes. Not to mention, a very colourful set of armour and swords, like a rainbow of colour. Chat raises an eyebrow at the collection of unusual breastplates while pulling down his hood and looks up at Ladybug who was focused on something else. She glances around the shop and walks up to the front counter, curiously leaning forward.

"Hey Nath, you here?" Calls out Ladybug, walking around the counter to the back door that leads to the work area. She knocks and a few seconds later it opens, revealing a boy with red hair and teal eyes, his gaze landing on Ladybug. He beams at his old friend, giving her a friendly welcoming hug. Chat's ears and tail twitch in irritation, though he didn't know why but something was burning in the back of his mind, making him want to hiss. Instead, he takes in a breath to calm himself down and forces a smile. He knew who this was, there was no need to be jealous.

'Jealous? I'm not jealous,' He argues to himself in his mind, making his tail twitch again, this time, to flick himself in the back of the leg. 'Stop arguing with yourself moron,' He scolds himself, blinking hard to get rid of the thoughts. When he opens them again, Ladybug was standing in arms reach of the red haired blacksmith he knew to be none other than his fellow classmate, Nathanael. He wore black pants and a white blouse, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and three coloured dots in the middle of his chest, a blue one, a red one and a yellow one. Company colours perhaps? Chat notes that he was also a leprechaun, the blacksmith race that was blessed with mechanical wings.

"What can I help you with Ladybug?" He asks, walking over to stand behind the counter. Chat glances around again, trying to act casual.

'Oh yeah, just awkwardly stand at the back looking around like a dimwit, good thinking, fabulous idea.' Chat thinks to himself, making him frown in annoyance. Meanwhile, Ladybug hands Nathanael the unidentified dagger, who begins to examine the weapon in interest.

"I wanted to know if you could find out what kind of dagger this was," Says Ladybug, placing her hands on her hips. Nathanael nods and places it on the counter, bringing up a list of daggers and narrowing it down to one.

"Well you came to the right place, the dagger's name is Knife of The Mighty, sounds cheesy." He says, chuckling a bit. Ladybug stares down at the dagger, its red handle and slightly curved blade at the tip making it look more like a knife than a dagger.

"I think it fits," Replies Ladybug, smiling slightly. Nathanael grabs the dagger and hands it back to Ladybug, his gaze glancing back at Chat Noir.

"Who's the Cait Sith? A friend of yours?" He asks, looking back at Ladybug. She shrugs, glancing back at the oblivious boy who was staring down at what Ladybug thinks was the jewellery showcase. She chuckles and looks back at Nathanael.

"You could say that," She answers, smiling. She turns towards Chat and puts her dagger away, then places a hand on her hip. "Hey, alley cat, wanna introduce yourself?" She asks, snapping him out of his daze. He looks up at them, at first confused then realisation settles on him and he nods.

"O-oh right, of course." He says, walking up beside Ladybug. "I'm Chat Noir," He says, offering a handshake. Nathanael accepts it politely and smiles.

"And I'm Nathanael, I take it you're also French?" He asks, the two breaking off the handshake. Chat nods and glances over at Ladybug quickly. She jumps in before the conversation got awkward and gives Nathanael a smile.

"Thanks again for checking out the dagger, maybe one day we should form a party and go out to a dungeon or something." She suggests Nathanael nods with a smile.

"Yeah definitely," He says, fixing his hair unconsciously. Chat looks down at the floorboards as the two talked and waited until the two were done talking until finally looking up again.

"Come again soon!" Nathanael calls out, waving goodbye to them as the two left the store. Ladybug sighs in content and looks over at Chat Noir, smiling. He glances back through the corner of his eye, noticing her smile. His heart seemed to have jumped in his chest and he nearly stumbled forward but caught himself before he could make an even bigger idiot of himself.

"So, where to next?" Asks Chat, his cheeks beginning to burn up. He looks down at the ground and pulls up his hood again, hiding his face from Ladybug. Ladybug thinks for a moment, also considering the idea of just logging out to get ready for tomorrow. Back to school, yay...

"Wanna get something to eat?" She asks, shrugging slightly. Chat Noir gives her a bright smile and nods. The two continue to walk down the streets of the town, just as the sun begins to set and the virtual moon rises, artificial lights from lampposts light the way as they walk up to a cafe. Chat wondered what time it was, he would have to be leaving soon since it was getting so late but a part of him never wanted to leave, perhaps it was because of the game, or the players who made it fun.

Suddenly Chat stops in his tracks and he looks up at Ladybug who doesn't notice he stopped until she looked beside her to see him gone, she glances behind her with a confused look and tilts her head slightly to the side.

"Chat? What's wrong?" She asks, her tone slightly concerned but mostly just confused. Chat Noir didn't know himself what was wrong, he just suddenly couldn't move but it was more than that, everything became faded and darkened. He panicked for a moment, afraid that perhaps he had poisoned some way when he wasn't aware. But what was really happening was, to him, worse than poison. Before he could answer Ladybug, he disappeared and words replaced him.

' _Disconnected, Connection Error-'_

Ladybug stares at the spot for a moment, her mouth slightly agape, trying to figure out what just happened. What could've possibly happened to him that made him suddenly disconnect? She glances around as if expecting him to appear again and sighs, then Tikki flies up beside her and sits on her shoulder.

"Ladybug?" She starts, getting the Pooka's attention, "Who is Chat Noir?" She asks, her tone covered in curiosity. Ladybug pauses, she didn't know and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know, not because she didn't like him, in fact, it was quite the opposite but there was something inside her telling her to keep it secret. She couldn't stop thinking of him, he was so mysterious behind that black cloak of his yet he was really just this sweet, flirty nerd. Ladybug had to admit that she felt comfortable around him, he was just easy to talk to but at the same time, she couldn't tell him everything.

Ladybug lets out another dejected sigh and glanced at the small pixie sitting on her shoulder, "I don't know."

* * *

Adrien jolts up in his bed, his heart racing at the sudden wake-up call and he takes off his AmuSphere with urgency. He looks over at Nathalie who held a cord in her hand, then drops it to the floor. Adrien takes in a shaky breath and looks down, avoiding her icy glare. He knew he should've left sooner but he had gotten so caught up in- well, Ladybug. Even the thought of her made his heart get heavy and he didn't even know her real name.

"Adrien, you were late for dinner and your father is asking for you to stop playing these silly games." Says Nathalie, her tone so strict and cold, it made Adrien shiver. He looks back up at her and bites his tongue, holding back his words. Arguing would get him nowhere, so he decided to just stay quiet. He nods in understanding and his gaze moves down to his hands folded together. Nathalie doesn't say another word before walking over to his bedroom door, looking back at him for a moment then lets out a small sigh."You have school tomorrow so get some sleep and make sure to come down for breakfast tom

"You have school tomorrow so get some sleep and make sure to come down for breakfast in the morning, your father wants you to stay away from... video games for a while." She explains, then leaves without another word, closing the door behind her.

Adrien takes a moment before groaning and laying back down, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. He was, of course, frustrated but more than anything just upset and disappointed, leaving ALfheim would mean leaving Ladybug and he couldn't bear to do that. She did something to him that he had never felt before, she was his freedom and his only happiness ever since his mother died.

He looks over at the device and stares at it for a moment, dread settling over him. He just left her there, without even saying why. He wondered if she would be upset with him if he ever saw her again. But perhaps his father was right, maybe he needed to focus more on his school life and reality and less on his fake life in _virtual_ reality. But Ladybug was real, or at least he thought so. That was always the risk of becoming friends with people online, you never know which ones are the real ones and which ones are just pretending.

Adrien pushes the thoughts away and stares up at the ceiling, maybe he would just get some rest and go to school the next day the same as always, with a smile that no one knew was forced. It was the model in him, it made faking smiles much easier. After a while, he closes his eyes and struggles to fall asleep before finally, he drifts off with thoughts of a spotted hero in his head.


End file.
